Week in Review - Hydro

It wouldn’t have been a normal week here at the legislature without Premier Pallister either threatening to sue someone or picking a political fight.

Pallister set his sights on the Manitoba Metis Federation (MMF) by cancelling a Hydro contract with the MMF which compensated them for Hydro facilities being on their lands.

Pallister’s erratic decisions are throwing Hydro into chaos. Since April, nine of ten board members quit, and the tenth has been removed because he disgraced himself and was kicked out of the PC caucus.

The CEO is quitting next month so he can leave on his own terms, and the new Minister responsible for the Crown Corporation, Colleen Mayer, has been mostly silent. By cancelling signed deals, he is opening up Hydro to lawsuits and delays when we need to get our power to market.

“Liberal leader Dougald Lamont noted the PC government had no difficulty bailing out the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for millions in loans they couldn't pay, yet would cancel a signed deal with the MMF.

Lamont said Manitoba Hydro has lost its entire board and CEO this year and has had two separate ministers in charge of the file, yet this was the direction the Tories were taking.

"This has been a year of absolute chaos at Manitoba Hydro. It has an unbelievable amount of debt. It has almost as much debt as the entire province and it's growing and the premier is breaking old agreements?" Lamont said.”